Automating an inefficient process makes the waste faster and more expensive to change. Why Lean should come before automation, and how to simplify, standardise and stabilise a process so automation delivers its full value.
A manufacturer invested in a robotic cell to load and unload parts at an assembly station, expecting to save two operators. After installation, the robot spent much of its time waiting: for parts arriving in inconsistent orientations, for upstream machines with frequent stoppages and for operators to clear jams caused by variation in incoming components. The automation worked; the process around it did not.
The principle is simple: simplify and stabilise before you automate.
Why automation magnifies problems
- Automation is less flexible than people. Variation that people handle easily, such as different part orientations, occasional defects and missing items, stops a machine.
- Automation locks in the process. Changing an automated process is far more expensive than changing a manual one.
- Waste becomes harder to see. Once automated, inefficient steps are hidden inside equipment.
- The business case often assumes stable inputs that do not exist.
Lean first: simplify, standardise, stabilise
- Remove waste. Eliminate unnecessary steps, movement, waiting and handling before considering automation. Some steps may disappear entirely.
- Simplify the product. Design changes such as fewer parts, self-locating features and consistent orientation make automation easier and cheaper, as discussed in designing for local manufacture.
- Standardise the work. Clear standard work shows exactly what the automated process must do.
- Stabilise inputs. Consistent part quality, presentation and supply are essential for automation to run reliably.
- Improve upstream and downstream reliability, so automation is not starved or blocked.
Choosing what to automate
Good automation candidates are tasks that are:
- Repetitive and stable.
- Ergonomically poor, dangerous or unpleasant.
- High in volume.
- Prone to human error, where consistency matters.
- At the constraint, where extra capacity has real value, as described in finding your bottleneck.
Simple automation often wins
Low-cost, simple automation, such as gravity feeds, fixtures, simple pick-and-place devices and sensors, often delivers faster payback than complex robotic systems. Lean practitioners call this low-cost intelligent automation.
The same principle applies to digital automation
Automating office workflows and AI-driven processes follows the same rule. Automating a chaotic quote or order process just produces chaotic results faster. Map and simplify the workflow first, then automate it, as we did with RFQ automation.
A practical sequence
- Map the current process and measure its performance.
- Remove waste and simplify.
- Standardise and stabilise.
- Identify the remaining tasks where automation adds value.
- Design automation for the improved process.
- Pilot, measure and refine.
Automation built on a lean process delivers its promised value. Automation built on waste delivers expensive waste.
